£10 MILLION publically funded funeral for Thatcher?!?!!??!

Why not? Tax makes up 80% of a packet of cigarettes' retail price, so someone who smokes 20 a day is contributing quite a lot in tax. They pay tax on them, therefore they are a taxpayer.

I disagree with Churchill's entitlement to a state funeral on principle, but even then I believe his achievements were on a different scale to Thatcher's.

Unless you are one of the thousands of benefit scroungers who also all seem to smoke on taxpayers money?

WTF!!!! I wouldn't care if it was like a normal couple grand funeral but 10 ****ing million???? what are they doing, having her stuffed with diamonds and sticking her in a solid gold show case for the british museum?!?!?!


why are we spending so much on this???? or have i got totally the wrong end of the stick? it's bloody ridiculous if it's true!

It's clear why the crowd were mostly supporters. Because a) the BBC won't be putting the limelight on the minority protesting, and b) Thatcher criminalised her adversaries; fitting to her legacy, protesters at her funeral will have been met with riot police, upscaling the cost. Her enemies will have done well to stay away on principle.

My summarised point on active politicians attending is the following: it's all very well if you're apolitical or a supporter. But if you, an active politician, claiming to represent those that Margaret Thatcher persecuted and their descendants, you cannot disassociate yourself and say 'I'm coming to pay my respects to Thatcher the human and not the politician', because you're attending as a fellow politician; you would not be there if you were not in your current capacity. Plus, the whole issue of not only her supporters but her 'adversaries' claiming public money to be there..

He wasn't 'entitled' to a state funeral. In that he had no automatic right to it.

He was given a state funeral because parliament voted to give him one. It was as democratic as you can get - the public overwhelmingly supported such a gesture, their representatives supported the gesture, he was given the gesture. On what principle can you object to it? What's wrong with paying proper respect to someone so important to the country?

Quite the cynic, aren't you? I suppose that would explain why she won 3 elections - because her enemies simply weren't available!

Fair point in the second paragraph, although again I don't see why it's not possible for a politician to pay respects to a fellow politician (unless they knew her more personally, in which case their presence at the funeral is more personal anyway). Simply because you disagree with someone's politics doesn't mean you can't respect them and - heaven forbid - even like or admire them.

Ahh, but if you do that you are actually giving the taxpayer 80% of their contribution back!

Most of these 'scroungers' are only on JSA temporarily so they'll give money back in time. Sometimes it takes a little state support to get into a position where contributing is possible.

She believed privatisation and a small state. Surely its only fitting that her funeral be financed without using public money, its what she advocated in life?

Public sector workers might spend their salary they've earned but the effect is limited to them. Spending £10m on a funeral attracts thousands of people who will each spend more money. How can that not make sense?

I don't get why people are so against this yet didn't bat an eyelid at the far more expensive Jubilee and Royal Wedding costs.

Thatcher is much more deserving of the public funds then those cretins.

How is it limited to them , they will be spending it in the economy . So no it does not make sense and defeats your very argument . It will attract thousands of people and what , will that account for the 10 million ?

The fact that everybody has forgotten about the Olympics show how much of a waste money it was. I don't see any thread complaining about that. Do people even care that the taxpayers are subsiding West Ham's move to the useless arena. We had the 4 weeks of fun and then we went back to our normal lives, What did the Olympics contribute to us as a nation? IMO Thatcher was deserves a decent send off. she was the First Female PM who overcame adversity to save Britain from feeling sorry for herself.

Do the maths. How many people on £25,000 a year does it take to make £10m? How many people lined the streets of London for this funeral? Not to mention many of them will be wealthy, given who the funeral is actually for. Add up train fares, add up food and drink for a day, possibly even hotels. Add on souvenir purchases etc.

yea your maths is poor too, someone on 25,000 a year will have 365 days of travel food , drink, plus they will also be paying tax and the government will save on benefits and the fact they will spend the 25,000 back into the economy , compared to 1 day and your jumping to conclusions people will buy these things anyway .

its 10million... who cares. consoidering how much has been pised away on even less important things liuke guarding that pillock in the ecuadorian embassy. leaving aside the fact 10,000,000 isnt a lot of money...